What to expect at a BMB Blog-Brand Event

If you are reading this it’s because you’ve been invited to attend a brand event that Brand Meets Blog is involved with. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, we are really glad you are interested in attending!

We are really lucky that we get to work with some fantastic clients! All of our clients are passionate about working with bloggers and all of them are genuinely interested in learning about how to best and most effectively build good relationships with bloggers who are a natural fit.

At Brand Meets Blog we are concerned with delivering Win-Win-Win events and opportunities.

We want the event to be enjoyable and interesting for you – we hope that you leave having learnt something new, been inspired, and have had a great time. We hope the events are easy for you to attend and if there is any way we can support you in that we invite you to let us know.

We want the event to be fruitful and useful for the brand – we hope that they learn something about bloggers, have a chance to connect directly with bloggers and share some of their passion and drive with you. We are constantly amazed by just how passionate our clients are – they may work for large organisations but as individuals they really live and breathe their job!

In putting on an event that is useful and interesting we hope that we have provided you with some information that might be of interest to your readers. How, and if, you choose to share it with them is entirely up to you of course but we hope that we have created an event that you have found interesting.

FAQ.

Q. What do brands want to get out of an event?

A. Each brand will have different goals in running an event but there are generally three things they hope will happen. Firstly, they are keen to meet some bloggers and start to build some ongoing relationships with them. Secondly, they hope to share their story or product with you – they want to teach/inspire/help you in some way with this information/product. Thirdly, they hope that if you have been inspired/helped etc… in some way that you might choose to share this information with others.

Q. Do I have to blog about an event?

A. No, there’s no expectation or requirement that you will blog about an event. That said, if the event has been of interest you then there’s a good chance it will also be of interest to your readers – if that’s the case, then we hope you will choose to share it with them in whichever format you would like. If there are ways we can assist with that please let us know, we find that brands are usually willing to provide generous giveaway items post event at least. We hope you will see the event as only the first step in your brand-blogger relationship. This isn’t about “free exposure” but about a working relationship.

Q. Do I have to Tweet or use Instagram at an event?

A. No, there’s no expectation that you will tweet or take photos at an event though we will have an active hashtag in use if you would like to take part. We like to run our events in a very inclusive way – though they are often quite small events, we try to use social media tools to help others feel included in the event and often have giveaways that we can run through the twitter chat that happens on the day. Twitter and Facebook can be great ways to invite your fans and followers to get involved with some of the fun opportunities that come our way as bloggers.

Q. What is expected of me post event?

See the event as a networking opportunity and think about how you might like to work with the brand in future and let them know. Be specific but not too detailed – and remember that PRs are people too, and approach it like you would any new relationship.

Q. Can I ask a brand for a sponsored post?

In short, yes. The longer answer is that if you should get turned down for this it’s not always a case of not being willing to pay. Brands allocate budgets according to product launches and categories and so it’s possible that they don’t have the budget to allocate at that time. If it’s a brand you can see having a long term relationship with you might offer to do the first post or two in return for product and giveaways with the view to running paid posts or other paid opportunities down the track. We think having a long-term view yields the best results and outcomes.

Q. Can I approach a brand for sponsorship to an event I want to attend?

A. Yes, but again remember that these sorts of opportunities normally spring from ongoing relationships so give lots of lead time and consider how you can demonstrate value to any brand you wish to work with in this way.

Q. If I’m not really interested in the brand, should I come anyway?

A. Brand events are not usually purely social events. If you aren’t interested in a brand then it’s not rude to say no and it’s best not to say yes just so you can catch up with your friends. PR and brands all talk to one another and so it’s wise to think about how you can put your best professional foot forward.